The field concerns devices that warm a person convectively. Particularly, the field concerns warming devices constituted of a clinical garment, one or more inflatable convective apparatuses inside the garment, and a drape.
Use of the term “convective” to denote the transfer of heat to a person refers to the principal mode of heat transfer, it being understood that heat may at the same time be transferred between a convective device and a body by conduction and radiation, although not to the degree of convection.
The patent applications referenced above describe warming devices constituted of a clinical garment and one or more convective apparatuses supported on an inside surface of the garment. Arizant Healthcare Inc., the assignee of this and the cross-referenced applications, makes and sells such devices under its BAIR PAWS® brand. In this regard, see the website at bairpaws.com.
The convective warming devices described in the referenced patent applications, and other similar convective warming devices include a clinical garment worn by or otherwise disposed on or over a patient. Because it may be easily moved and adjusted while being worn, or removed and put back on, the clinical garment affords mobility for users and provides convenience for clinicians.
A warming device as described in the referenced patent applications includes at least one convective apparatus attached to, or formed integrally on, an inside surface of a clinical garment, where it receives a stream of pressurized, heated air, inflates in response to the pressurized air, distributes the heated air, and emits the heated air through one or more permeable surfaces. The heated air is emitted inside the clinical garment. Depending on the structure of the convective apparatus, the warming device may be operated to maintain the comfort of a user wearing the clinical garment, or to warm the user for therapeutic purposes (such as treatment of hypothermia). Further, a convective apparatus can be constructed with multiple, separately inflatable sections so that a warming device may be operated to provide comfort warming by inflating one section and/or therapeutic warming by inflating another section.
To operate a convective warming device described in the referenced patent applications, a forced air warming unit is connected to an inlet port of an inflatable convective apparatus by means of an air hose. The forced air warming unit heats and pressurizes air, and the air hose conducts the stream of heated pressurized air to the inlet port. Heated air flowing into the inlet port inflates the apparatus, and also heats the air hose. Prolonged contact with the heated air hose can cause thermal injury to the skin of a user not covered by the clinical garment. Such contact may occur, for example, if the clinical garment, when worn, is of a length that reaches the knees of a user. In this regard, presume a convective warming device is deployed for use on a prone surgical patient, and an air hose runs between a forced air warming unit near the patient's feet. If the air hose rests on the skin of one or both of the patient's shins and/or feet for the duration of surgery, deep thermal injury to the skin caused by the pressure and heat of the air hose can result.
The risk of thermal injury caused by a hot air hose during use of a convective warming device may be mitigated or prevented by deploying a drape from the clinical garment over exposed skin so that the air hose lies on the drape instead of the skin covered by the drape.